The present application relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a method of processing information, and a computer program. More specifically, the present application relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing system, a method of processing information, and a computer program, which are configured to carry out communication processing and data processing associated with the communication processing.
IC cards having IC circuits and antennas that enable contactless communication and mobile terminals having the function of IC cards are used in various fields. An IC card is capable of contact or contactless wireless communication with a reader/writer. For example, data is transferred wirelessly between an IC card and a reader/writer to carry out data reading and writing at various devices. The processing carried out between an IC card and a reader/writer is described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2006-108886.
For example, processing such as that described in the following is carried out in communication between an IC card and a reader/writer.
The reader/writer outputs a command packet (processing request) to the IC card.
The IC card receives the command packet and carries out processing corresponding to the command.
The IC card sends back a response packet after carrying out the processing.
Such processing described above is carried out.
As apparatuses having an IC card function, there are, for example, mobile phones.
Such as the mobile phone device described above, when an IC card function according to the related art is installed in electronic equipment, the electronic equipment is provided with wireless communication interface for carrying out contactless communication with the reader/writer; a CPU for carrying out protocol processing for the contactless communication and processing data associated with communication; a memory used as a work area of the CPU; and a IC chip constituting a subsystem including a wire communication interface for transmitted communication data to the electronic equipment via the wireless interface and receiving data from the electronic equipment.
More specifically, for example, the configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 may be used. FIG. 1 illustrates an information processing apparatus 10, which is electronic equipment, and a reader/writer 1. The information processing apparatus 10 includes a communication processing unit 20 that provides an IC card function and an apparatus main body 30. The communication processing unit 20 is a subsystem that carries out contactless communication with the reader/writer 1. The apparatus main body 30 carries out data processing in response to the function of the information processing apparatus 10.
The communication processing unit 20 includes an antenna 21 for carrying out wireless communication with the reader/writer 1; a wireless communication interface 22; a CPU 23 for controlling processes carried out in the communication processing unit 20; a wire communication interface 24 for carrying out wire communication with the apparatus main body 30; a program memory 25 where execution programs and parameters for the CPU 23 are stored; a nonvolatile memory 26 where communication data is stored; and a RAM 27 that is a memory used as a work area for processing carrying out by the CPU 23.
The apparatus main body 30 includes a wire communication interface 31 for carrying out wire communication with the communication processing unit 20; a CPU 32 for controlling processes carried out in the apparatus main body 30; a program memory 33 where execution programs and parameters for the CPU 32 are stored; a nonvolatile memory 34 where various data that is to be saved even when power is turned off is stored; and a RAM 35 that is a memory used as a work area for processing carrying out by the CPU 32.
The configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 enables the addition of the IC card function to various types of electronic equipment, such as mobile phones and personal computers (PCs). Accordingly, communication with the reader/writer is established. In other words, the apparatus main body 30 is capable of transmitting and receiving various data to and from the reader/writer 1 via the IC card function provided by the communication processing unit 20.
However, as shown in FIG. 1, when the IC card function is provided to the electronic equipment, subsystem including an independent CPU, and a program memory, a nonvolatile memory and RAM, which are working areas accessible by the CPU is provided to provide the IC card function. Therefore, the communication processing unit 20 and the apparatus main body 30 in the information processing apparatus 10 have the same hardware structure. Such a structure causes a cost increase of the information processing apparatus, and prevents reduction in the size of the apparatus.